New Music Musings

Another week has flown by, and I’d like to welcome you to my latest look at developments on the new music front. All tracks are on albums that came out yesterday (March 22).

Velcros/Starting Now

Velcros are a rock band from Leipzig, Germany. Their Bandcamp page describes the trio’s music as “a fusion of Tom Petty’s undeniable charisma and the raw, unfiltered energy reminiscent of the punk bands such as The Hives or The Wipers.” In July 2023, Velcros released their debut EP Spit Takes. Starting Now is the catchy opener of the group’s first full-length album Strange News From the Vault. The music and lyrics are written and performed by Fabian Bremer, Nicolai Hildebrandt and Manuel Markstein.

Barely Civil/Not Fine

Barely Civil are an American indie rock band from Wisconsin. They formed in 2012 and are influenced by Emo groups like Modern Baseball and Sorority Noise. Their AllMusic bio notes the group released their debut EP Year of the Dog in 2016. Barely Civil are Connor Erickson (vocals, guitar), Alex Larsen (guitar), Eric Doucette (bass, vocals) and Isaac Marquardt (drums). Off their third and latest album I’d Say I’m Not Fine, here’s Not Fine. I’d say it’s not bad!

Waxahatchee/Bored

Waxahatchee is a music project of indie folk and indie rock singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield. Crutchfield formed Waxahatchee in 2012 after the break-up of pop punk band P.S. Eliot she had co-founded in 2007. Starting with 2012’s American Weekend, six albums have appeared to date under the Waxahatchee moniker including the latest, Tigers Blood. Here’s country-flavored Bored, which first appeared as the second upfront single on February 13.

Charlie Parr/Bear Head Lake

Charlie Parr is a rootsy blues and folk singer-songwriter from Minnesota. Since his July 2002 debut Criminals and Sinners, Parr has released more than 15 additional albums. His influences include Charlie Patton, Bukka White, Reverend Gary Davis, Dave Van Ronk, Mississippi John Hurt and “Spider” John Koerner. From his new album Little Sun, here’s Bear Head Lake. And, yes, there are vocals. They start at around 2:23 minutes into the track after a pretty acoustic music intro.

Van Houten/Never Did Come Back

Van Houten are an English psychedelic pop group from Leeds. From their Soundcloud profile: Van Houten’s core is based on life long friendship, an inability to exist without each other, and an obsession with creating a sonic mixing pot of intimate lo-fi rock + cavernous Shoegaze. Their sound envelops the listener, combining upbeat pop melodies and hooks with downbeat lyrics one minute, before full introspection and aural catharsis the next. Off their debut album The Tallest Room, which took seven years to make, here’s Never Did Come Back.

Adrianne Lenker/Free Treasure

Wrapping up this post is new music by indie folk singer-songwriter Adrianne Lenker. Lenker is also the lead vocalist, guitarist and main songwriter of indie folk band Big Thief she co-founded in 2015 with Buck Meek (guitar, backing vocals). Lenker wrote her first song as an eight-year-old and released her solo debut album Stages of the Sun in January 2014 when she was only 14. She attended Berklee College of Music on a scholarship provided by Susan Tedeschi of the Tedeschi Trucks Band. Lenker’s sixth and latest album is titled Bright Future. Here’s Free Treasure, which like all other songs on the album was written by Lenker. She sounds great!

Sources: Wikipedia; AllMusic; Velcros Bandcamp page; Van Houten Soundcloud page; YouTube; Spotify

New Music Musings

Happy Saturday and welcome to my weekly new music review. All featured picks can be found on albums that were released yesterday (March 15)

Beans/Dreaming Daisy

First up are Australian psychedelic garage rock group Beans from Melbourne. An announcement on the website of their label Fuzz Club Records notes the band is fronted by Matt Blach, drummer of rock band The Murlocs who also hail from Melbourne. Boots N Cats is Beans’ third full-length album after All Together Now (2020) and Babble (2018). Boots N Cats “bounces between organ-driven garage-rock wig-outs, breezy psych-pop and groovy funk instrumentals.” Here’s Dreaming Daisy.

Scott Stapp/Deadman’s Trigger

Scott Stapp is best known as lead vocalist and lyricist of post-grunge rockers Creed who he co-founded in Tallahassee, Fla. in 1994. After Creed had disbanded in 2004, Stapp released his first solo album, The Great Divide, in November 2005. During the hiatus of Creed who had reunited in 2009, Stapp resumed his solo career and is now out with his fourth and latest album Higher Power. Meanwhile, Creed emerged from hiatus in July 2023 and will tour the U.S. and Canada starting in April. Here’s Deadman’s Trigger co-written by Stapp, Blair Daly, Marti Frederiksen, Scott Stevens and Zac Maloy.

Potato Beach/Please Waste Your Time

Potato Beach are another psychedelic garage rock band, from Vienna, Austria, who were formed in 2020. From their Bandcamp profile: Anja, Peter, Sven, Lili and Jannik try to make everything sound like the 60s, even though they live in 2022. Because they are not cool enough to move to L.A., they are trying to bring the seductive sound of bands such as The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Allah-Las and La Luz to Austria. Off their first full-length album Dip In, here’s Please Waste Your Time – that cool retro grabbed me right away!

Cory Wells/Natural Disaster

Cory Wells, not to be confused with the former Three Dog Night member of the same name, is a California singer-songwriter who AllMusic notes blends acoustic EMO and cathartic power folk. Initially, Wells focused on metal and hardcore and was a touring member of post-hardcore band Movements before shifting to a quieter style and releasing his 2018 debut EP How to Tear Apart the Ones You Love. His second and latest full-length album is titled Harboring the Hurt I’ve Caused. Here’s Natural Disaster, co-written by Wells, Anton DeLost and Sarah Thompson.

James Clarke Five/Ghost

James Clarke Five is the solo project of British power pop artist James Hughes. He was a co-founder and the keyboarder of ’80s English new wave band The Cherry Boys. After their breakup in 1984, he also co-founded indie pop outfit Exhibit B whose 1988 album Playing Dead became a cult classic. Hughes launched James Clarke Five in the early 2000s. His latest album under that moniker, Zoom and The Gadflies, has “a common theme inspired by the music that excited me as a child,” Hughes explained in a statement, “people like Adam and The Ants, and also the likes of T. Rex and the ‘production style’ of the Glam Rock era.” Here’s Ghost, a song about bittersweet reflections on childhood and the passing of time with a neat harpsichord-driven sound!

The Black Crowes/Wanting and Waiting

Rounding out this post is music from the new album by The Black Crowes, the group’s first since their third reunion in 2019. Initially formed in Atlanta, Ga. as Mr. Crowe’s Garden in 1984, the band around brothers Chris Robinson and Rich Robinson has seen numerous line-up changes and much drama, especially between the brothers. In late 2019, they told Howard Stern they had resolved their differences. The group conducted a 2022 tour around the 30th anniversary of their Shake Your Money Maker debut album. Off their new studio project Happiness Bastards, here’s the great Wanting and Waiting. The Black Crowes are touring behind the album starting in early April.

Sources: Wikipedia; Fuzz Club Records website; Potato Beach Bandcamp page; AllMusic; Shameless Promotion PR press kit; YouTube; Spotify

New Music Musings

It’s Saturday again, which I find hard to believe. Welcome to another installment of my weekly feature where I take a fresh look at developments on the new music front. All six picks are taken from albums that were released yesterday (October 6).

Citizen/Can’t Take It Slow

Citizen are a U.S. band from the Midwest, blending Emo and punk with indie rock and metal. Formed in 2009, the group currently includes co-founders Mat Kerekes (vocals), Nick Hamm (lead guitar) and his brother Eric Hamm (bass), along with Mason Mercer (rhythm guitar), and Ben Russin (drums). Off their fifth and latest studio album Calling the Dogs, here’s Can’t Take It Slow credited to all members of the band. Nice melodic rock!

Tré Burt/Traffic Fiction

Tré Burt is a Sacramento-based singer-songwriter I first included in an October 2020 installment of this series. During his childhood, he was exposed to music by The Delfonics, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye and The Temptations. As he became a musician himself, he tapped into American folk and blues. Bits of those and other roots were reflected on the August 2021 studio album You, Yeah, You, the result of what Burt’s website calls his “first proper studio sessions.” His latest, titled Traffic Fiction, is an “alchemy of soul, dub, and more than a little punk.” Here’s the great-sounding title track penned by Burt.

Sufjan Stevens/A Running Start

Sufjan Stevens is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose music has included indie folk, baroque pop, folktronica, indie rock and electronica. Prior to releasing his 2000 debut A Sun Came during his final semester in college, he played in various bands and continues to be a member of New Jersey indie pop and gospel group Danielson. Stevens is now out with a new album, Javelin, which is his tenth. Here’s A Running Start, a lovely folk song written by him.

The Rural Alberta Advantage/Conductors

The Rural Alberta Advantage are a Canadian indie rock band formed in Toronto in 2005. From their website: The Rural Alberta Advantage (Amy Cole, Paul Banwatt and Nils Edenloff) has explored themes ranging from hometowns lost and found to tragic Alberta disasters with an earnest style of songwriting that has continued to leave its mark and grab fans around the world. Years of touring have filled rooms with a sound far beyond what any music fan would initially expect from a trio, until they witness Paul’s incomparable drumming style live and the number of parts Amy can play at any one time alongside Nils’ cathartic vocals. From their fifth and latest album The Rise & The Fall, here’s Conductors credited to the trio’s three members.

Bewilder/Home

Bewilder are a UK duo of George Brooks (vocals, guitar) and Thom Wilkinson, a multi-instrumentalist, who have played together for more than 10 years. Their Bandcamp page notes their new album From the Eyrie relied on sending each other demos starting in 2019, the same process they always used. As such, COVID didn’t interrupt the songwriting but actually accelerated it. Here’s Home, which they call “the song with the most nostalgic feeling” that best sums up the album’s twin themes of nature and nostalgia. Check out this beautiful mellow sound!

Kadabra/The Serpent

Kadabra are a psychedelic fuzz rock trio from Spokane, Wash. According to a bio on the website of their label Heavy Psych Sounds Records, they were formed in 2020 and consist of Garrett Zanol (guitar, vocals), Ian Nelson (bass) and Chase Howard (drums). After signing with Heavy Psych Sounds, they recorded their debut album Ultra, which appeared in September 2021. After heavy touring in the western U.S. and a month-long tour of Europe, they returned to the studio and are now out with their sophomore album Umbra. Here’s The Serpent, a metal tune that’s heavier than what I usually listen to, but its hypnotizing vibe drew me in, along with Zanol’s decent vocals.

Sources: Wikipedia; AllMusic; Tré Burt website; The Rural Alberta Advantage website; Bewilder Bandcamp page; Kadabra Bandcamp page; Heavy Psych Sounds Records website; YouTube; Spotify

New Music Musings

It’s Saturday and I’d like to welcome you to another installment of my weekly new music revue. This time I ended up picking six tracks, which are all included on albums that dropped yesterday (August 11).

Les Imprimés/You

Les Imprimés is the moniker of Norwegian artist Morten Martens. According to his Bandcamp page, he keeps a low profile while making his heartfelt, highly infectious, and unique music. Martens explains it’s “soul music, but I don’t exactly have the soul voice,” adding, “But I do it my own way, in a way that’s mine.” While Martens has been making records for decades as a hired gun, R​êverie is his solo debut. Here’s the beautiful You, which blends elements of ’60s and ’70s soul and doo-wop.

Bonnie “Prince” Billie/Crazy Blue Bells

Joseph Will Oldham is an American singer-songwriter and actor who since 1998 has released music as Bonnie “Prince” Billie. His music has been compared to Americana, folk, roots, country, punk and indie rock. Off his latest album Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You, here’s Crazy Blue Bell penned by Oldham. The tune first appeared as a single on July 10.

Cordovas/Fallen Angels of Rock ‘n’ Roll

Cordovas are an Americana and country rock band from East Nashville, Tenn. They were formed in 2011 by singer-songwriter, bassist and vocalist Joe Firstman after a six-year stint as bandleader for former NBC late-night show Last Call with Carson Daly. Cordovas who have named The Allman Brothers Band, Grateful Dead and The Band as influences are now out with their fourth studio album The Rose of Aces. Here’s the fantastic opener Fallen Angels of Rock ‘n’ Roll co-written by Firstman and Cory Hanson, frontman of Los Angeles rock band Wand.

Andy Frasco & The U.N./Iowa Moon

Andy Frasco & The U.N. are a Los Angeles band blending soul, blues, jazz and rock into an upbeat sound. Led by lead vocalist and keyboarder Andy Frasco, they were formed in 2007 and have released six studio albums to date. Their latest is titled L’Optimist. I like that title! And here’s a tune to match it, Iowa Moon, co-written by Frasco, Kenny Carkeet, Steve Poltz and Paul McDonald.

Caskets/Better Way Out

Originally formed as Captives in 2018, Caskets are a band from Leeds, England. AllMusic describes their sound as melodic and synth-heavy, combining elements of post-hardcore and emo with a poppy edge. From their sophomore album Reflections, here’s Better Way Out. The tune is credited to band members Matthew Edward Flood (vocals), Craig Robinson (guitar), Benjamin Wilson (guitar), Christopher Mcintosh (bass) and James Lazenby (drums), as well as Phillip Strand and producer Dan Weller.

Hurry/Something More

Rounding out this week’s New Music Musings are Hurry. Their Spotify profile notes this Philadelphia-based group fuses the melancholic jangle and tunefulness of classic power pop with a fuzzy, ’90s-inspired indie rock aesthetic. Hurry grew out of a solo project by Matthew Scottoline, former bassist of Philly Emo and indie rock band Everyone Everywhere. From their sixth and latest studio album Don’t Look Back, let’s listen to the pleasant Something More, penned by Scottoline.

Sources: Wikipedia; Les Imprimés Bandcamp page; Bonnie “Prince” Willie Drag City artist page; Cordovas website; Andy Frasco & The U.N. website; Caskets website; AllMusic; Hurry Bandcamp page; YouTube; Spotify

New Music Musings

Happy Saturday and welcome to my weekly new music revue. All picks are from releases that came out yesterday (August 4).

Cole Gallagher/Lines In the Sky

Cole Gallagher is a Los Angeles-based Americana singer-songwriter and guitarist who just released his debut EP The Confluence. According to his Spotify profile, the 21-year-old’s influences include Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, John Fogerty, Tom Petty and Warren Zevon. Here’s Lines In the Sky, which Grateful Web reported features members of the 400 Unit (Jason Isbell’s backing band). It first appeared on June 2 as the lead single.

Girl Ray/Love Is Enough

Next, we turn to the UK for female indie trio Girl Ray. Their Bandcamp page reveals the three-piece comprising Poppy Hankin, Iris McConnell and Sophie Moss released their debut album Earl Grey in 2017. They are now out with their third and latest, Prestige, which blends R&B with ’80s disco pop. Here’s the groovy Love Is Enough.

Robert Jon & The Wreck/West Coast Eyes

Blues rock and Southern rock band Robert Jon & The Wreck have been around since 2011. Led by lead vocalist and guitarist Robert Jon Burrison, the Southern California quintet released their debut album Fire Started the same year they were founded. Off their new album Ride Into the Light, here’s West Coast Eyes. The great tune is credited to Burrison, three other members of the band and blues and rock songwriter Tom Hambridge.

Wilmette/Circa ’99

Closing out this week’s New Music Musings are Emo and pop punk group Wilmette, who were formed in 2018 in Sleepy Hollow, Ill. The band’s Spotify profile characterizes their debut album Hyperfocused as “a high-energy, emotionally-charged collection of songs that explores themes of loss and personal growth.” Let’s check out Circa ’99.

Sources: Wikipedia; Cole Gallagher website; Grateful Web; Girl Ray website; Girl Ray Bandcamp page; Robert Jon & The Wreck website; Wilmette Facebook page; YouTube; Spotify

Best of What’s New

Happy Saturday! The new music front continues to be vibrant, and once again, I had to whittle down my picks to six. All appear on albums and one EP released yesterday (July 7).

12 Rods/Twice

12 Rods are an indie rock band from Minneapolis, Minn. After an initial 12-year run and three albums, the group disbanded in 2004. They regrouped in 2015 for a short-lived reunion, including a concert and a documentary. In September 2021, co-founder Ryan Olcott (lead vocals, guitar) announced plans for a new album, which is now out. If We Stayed Alive features Olcott with an all-new line-up: Lars Oslund (guitar), Efren Maldonado (keyboards), Adri Mehra (bass) and Alec Tonjes (drums). Here’s Twice, penned by Olcott and one of three singles that came out leading up to the album. I love this mellow sound!

The Far Outs/Miss Me?

Listening to Aussie garage rockers The Far Outs feels like taking a trip back to the ’60s – this is one cool-sounding group! From their Bandcamp page: The Far Outs began as a side project to Brisbane’s Grand Atlantic as an outlet for songs that didn’t quite fit the format but still desperately needed a place to party. With influences ranging from the likes of The Kinks, The Sonics and The Easybeats, the group quickly established a reputation for their 60’s influenced garage rock – featuring blistering riffs, catchy choruses and drums akimbo. Following their June 2021 debut single Last Night/Sorry, they have now released their eponymous debut album. Here’s the hard-charging Miss Me?, which has a cool Doors vibe – man, I just love this!

Local Natives/Paradise

For this next pick, I decided to dial down the intensity level with a soothing tune by Local Natives, an indie rock outfit from the Los Angeles area. They were formed in 2005 by three high school students – Taylor Rice (vocals, guitar), Kelcey Ayer (vocals, keyboards, guitar) and Ryan Hahn (guitar, backing vocals) – who subsequently were joined by Andy Hamm (bass) and Matt Frazier (drums). The line-up remains unchanged to this day, except for Hamm who in 2012 was replaced by Nik Ewing (bass, keyboards, vocals). Since their November 2009 UK-only debut Gorilla Manor, Local Natives have released four additional albums, including their latest, Time Will Wait For No One. Here’s Paradise, which first appeared as a single on June 27 – neat vocals!

Pigeon Wigs/Radiation Blues

Next, let’s turn to Welsh alternative rockers Pigeon Wigs. From their website: Pigeon Wigs are a 5-piece rock ’n’ roll band newly sprung from Cardiff’s fertile soil. Formed from the writing partnership of Harry Franklin–Williams & Louis Jugessur, their music ranges from the bombastic and unrelenting to the sombre and fragile, indulging whatever genre best suits their aims while maintaining a through line that one can only describe as Pigeon Wigs. Okey dokey! If I see this correctly, the band released their first single Near the Knuckle in October 2021. Radiation Blues, co-written by Franklin-Williams and Jugessur, is a track off their debut EP Rock by Numbers. This is petty kickass!

Miles Miller/A Feeling Called Lonesome

Miles Miller is a drummer, guitarist and singer-songwriter blending country, Americana and bluegrass. According to his website, music has been Miller’s destiny since his childhood years in central Kentucky. In 2009, producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, John Prine, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, The Highwomen, etc.) spotted 16-year-old Miles playing drum covers on YouTube. Three years later, he introduced him to Simpson. While Miller’s drumming and singing skills made him known, his first love is the guitar. Leveraging time he had during the pandemic to write songs, he’s now out with this solo debut album ambitiously titled Solid Gold. Here’s A Feeling Called Lonesome – Miller is definitely off to a promising start!

Sad Park/Death

I have time to squeeze in one more pick. According to their Bandcamp profile, Sad Park is an alternative emo punk band from Los Angeles, California comprised of vocalist/guitarist Graham Steele, bassist/backing vocalist Sam Morton and drummer Grant Bubar. In 2016 they released two EPs with the self-titled Sad Park and Good Start, Bad Endings. In 2018, they released their debut album Sleep and will follow up with their sophomore release in 2021. That sophomore, It’s All Over Now, has since come out in September 2021, and they are now up to their third and latest album No More Sound. Here’s the cheerfully titled Death, credited to all three members, as well as Aidan Memory and Danny Nogueiras, along with the quirky official video.

And there you have it, folks. Well, not quite yet – this post wouldn’t be complete without a Spotify playlist of the above and a few additional tunes.

Sources: Wikipedia; The Far Outs Bandcamp page; Pigeon Wigs website; Miles Miller website; Sad Park Bandcamp page; YouTube; Spotify

Best of What’s New

Happy Saturday and welcome to another installment of my weekly new music revue. All picks appear on releases that came out yesterday. Let’s get to them without further ado.

Larkin Poe/Southern Comfort

Great to see a new album by Larkin Poe, the roots and blues rock-focused singer-songwriter sister act of Rebecca Lovell (vocals, guitars, keyboards, drums) and her slightly older sister Megan Lovell (vocals, lap steel, slide guitar, keyboards). Their website describes their music as “gritty, soulful, and flavored by their southern heritage.” I first came across these two young dynamic ladies, who not only are excellent musicians but also great vocalists, in late 2019. They started out as teenagers with their eldest sister Jessica Lovell in a bluegrass/ Americana formation called The Lovell Sisters. After the trio disbanded in January 2010, Rebecca and Megan decided to forge ahead without Jessica and have since been making music as Larkin Poe. Apart from self-producing their own music, the two sisters have a very active YouTube channel that among others includes a cover channel featuring stripped-back renditions of many well-known rock and blues tunes. If you don’t know Larkin Poe, check them out! Their energy and enthusiasm are infectious! Meanwhile, here’s Southern Comfort, penned by Rebecca Lovell, a nice southern blues rock-flavored tune from their sixth full-length album Blood Harmony.

Jack Kays/Finally Fine

Let’s turn to Jack Kays whose music is “hard to pigeonhole,” according to AllMusic, blending “punk and emo with rugged acoustic folk and occasional detours into cloud rap.” Here’s more from their bio of the young artist: After a handful of independent releases, the Ohio native found viral success with his sparse but aggressive acoustic songs, especially “Morbid Mind.” Signing with Columbia Records, Kays released his debut album, Mixed Emotions, in early 2021. My Favorite Nightmares, a collaborative EP with Travis Barker followed later that year. I featured a tune of that EP in a Best of What’s New installment at the time. Kays who struggled with addiction during his teenage years is now out with his latest EP titled Cessation. One of the songs, Finally Fine, begins…from the perspective of an addict and then transitions midway through to the perspective of someone in recovery, a press release explains. There’s something captivating about Kays’ lyrics and stripped-back approach on this and the EP’s other tracks, which drew me in.

Action/Adventure/Levity

Action/Adventure are a pop punk band from Chicago. From their Apple Music profile: Combining the aggressive melodic approach of pop-punk with the punishing guitar attack of metalcore, Action/Adventure are a band from Chicago who’ve earned a powerful reputation on the city’s underground rock scene. They also upend expectations of what a hardcore band should look like: Action/Adventure is composed of five BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) men, and their songs sometimes examine the challenges and contradictions of being part of a dominantly white musical community. They just as often deal with the anger, imaginings, and uncertainty that often fuel hardcore, and they perform with a strong balance of fire and precision. They made an emphatic debut with 2015’s Rumble Pak EP, revealed a greater maturity and ambition on 2018’s Going Heel, and began breaking through to a larger audience with 2021’s Pulling Focus. Action/Adventure include Blake Evaristo (lead vocals), Brompton Jackson (vocals/guitar), Oren Trace (guitar), Manny Avila (bass) and Adrian Brown (drums). Levity, credited to all members, is a tune from their latest album Imposter Syndrome. Metalcore generally isn’t my cup of tea, but Action/Adventure’s pop-flavored type isn’t your usual metalcore.

Franz Nicolay/Wandering Star

Wrapping up this week’s Best of What’s New is a prolific multi-instrumentalist and writer, Franz Nicolay. From his website: In addition to records under his own name, he was a member of cabaret-punk orchestra World/Inferno Friendship Society, “world’s best bar band” the Hold Steady, Balkan-jazz quartet Guignol, co-founded the composer-performer collective Anti-Social Music, was a touring member of agit-punks Against Me!; and recorded (complete discography here) or performed (complete list here) with dozens of other acts. He studied music at New York University and writing at Columbia University (where he was awarded a Felipe P. de Alba Fellowship). He received fellowship residencies in composition at the Rensing Art Center and writing at the Ucross Foundation and the Edward F. Albee Foundation. He has taught at Columbia University and UC-Berkeley, and is currently a faculty member in music and written arts at Bard College. This brings me to New River, Nicolay’s latest solo album, and the opening track Wandering Star. Great tune – check it out! In fact, the entire album looks promising, based on sampling a few of the other tunes.

Last but not least, here’s a Spotify playlist of the above and a few additional tunes by each of the featured artists.

Sources: Wikipedia; Larkin Poe website; AllMusic; Sony Music Canada website; Apple Music; Franz Nicolay website; YouTube; Spotify

Best of What’s New

Usually, I keep my forays into newly released music to four tunes. This installment includes two more tracks. Why? Easy, ‘coz I can! On a more serious note, unlike other weeks where I feel more challenged to find music that sufficiently speaks to me, I discovered these tracks fairly quickly. And since I couldn’t quite decide on four, I ended up taking all six. Except for the final song, all tunes are included on releases that appeared yesterday (March 19).

Mason Lively/Love Ain’t Done a Damn Thing

Mason Lively is a country/Americana artist from Victoria, Texas. According to his website, he grew up in a country music atmosphere. His appreciation for the genre can be traced back to his childhood. Though he enjoyed and was exposed to many types of music, he would listen to artists like Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Ray Price to name a few. Growing up, while also being influenced by Blues and Classic Rock, Mason started to take interest and study the songwriting of artists from his home state’s music scene like Robert Earl Keen, Pat Green, Hayes Carll, and many more. As a result, when he started playing guitar at age 14, Mason claims that song-writing “sort of snuck up on him” not long after that. Lively’s debut album Stronger Ties appeared in April 2018. Love Ain’t Done a Damn Thing is a track from his new eponymous sophomore album.

Michigander/Let Down

Jason Singer, performing as Michigander, is a singer-songwriter hailing from Midland, Mich., who has been active since 2014. His artist profile on Apple Music describes Michigander’s music as a rich blend of hook-driven and radio-ready indie rock with electronic flourishes and earnest, big-hearted storytelling that invokes names like Lord Huron and Mumford & Sons. He is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist who spent his formative years building a sonic persona that looked to a wide array of influencers, including Coldplay, Rush, James Taylor, and the White Stripes. After honing his skills playing solo sets, Singer relocated to Kalamazoo in 2014 and began operating under the Michigander moniker. In 2016 he issued the nostalgia-driven single “Nineties,” which garnered over a million online streams. Looking to capitalize on the success of the single, Singer turned his one-man solo project into a fully-fledged rock & roll band and hit the road, sharing bills with contemporaries like Ra Ra Riot, Tokyo Police Club, and Twin Peaks, and released the group’s debut EP, Midland, in 2018. The following year saw the band ink a deal with C3 Records and issue a second EP, Where Do We Go from Here? Well, I suppose the answer is Everything Will Be Ok Eventually, Michigander’s latest EP. Here’s lead single Let Down. I have to say I find this tune quite catchy.

Alice Phoebe Lou/Dusk

South African singer-songwriter Alice Phoebe Lou first entered my radar screen in July 2020, when I covered her then-latest single Touch in a previous Best of What’s New installment. As noted there, Lou grew up on a mountainside in South Africa, attending a local Waldorf school that cultivated her innate love of music and the arts. She made her first visit to Europe at 16, a life-changing journey that first saw her taking her songs to the streets. Lou returned home to finish school but as soon as she was able made her way back to Europe, specifically Berlin. Armed with just her guitar, a small amp, a passel of distinctive original songs, and an utterly intoxicating voice and charm, she soon built a devoted fan following, not just in Berlin but around the world as tourists and passers-by from faraway places were so captivated by her music that they began sharing it amongst friends and social media. Lou self-released her debut EP, Momentum, in 2014, followed two years later by her acclaimed first full-length, Orbit. Dusk, written by Lou, is from her new album Glow. Just like I felt previously, her music falls outside my core wheelhouse but there’s just something about it.

Ringo Starr/Waiting For the Tide to Turn

Just like his ex-Beatles mate Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr kept busy during the pandemic. One of the results is a new EP titled Zoom In. A statement on his website notes it features 5 songs all of which were recorded at Starr’s home studio between April-October 2020...Joining Starr were musicians Nathan East (bass), Steve Lukather (guitar), Bruce Sugar (synth guitar), Benmont Tench (piano), Charlie Bisharat (violin), Jacob Braun (cello), and Jim Cox (string arrangements and synth strings). Dave Grohl, Ben Harper and Jenny Lewis also joined Starr in the home studio, and all contributed to the first single, Here’s To The Nights. I previously covered it here…Ringo co-wrote “Waiting For The Tide to Turn” with his engineer Bruce Sugar, adding Tony Chen and his extensive reggae roots; “This was something my engineer Bruce Sugar started, but it didn’t have a lot of words, so we wrote it together. I did my version of reggae and what was great was we had Tony Chen, who played with Bob Marley and lives here in LA, come over and play on it. He said, ‘hey Mon, that you on drums mon?’ and I said yes, and he said ‘great drums mon, very reggae!’ and my heart swelled! It was so great coming from him.” Ringo and reggae was something I didn’t expect, but I think it came out pretty well!

Joyce Wrice/Chandler

Joyce Wrice is an R&B and soul artist from Los Angeles. There isn’t any background on her website and Facebook page, so I’m relying on a news story by MTV. Chandler is the opener of Wrice’s debut album Overgrown. The release follows a series of EPs and publishing covers on YouTube for 10 years. Some of her influences include Missy Elliott, Aaliyah and Sade. Apparently, she is also influenced by her Japanese heritage and Buddhism. “One of the things that I’ve learned through my Buddhist practice is to create opportunities within the obstacle or the struggle,” Wrice pointed out to MTV News. “It’s actually helped me to dig deeper and not be swayed by the situation and keep pushing through.” This tune has a cool vibe. I can hear some early ’70s Marvin Gaye in here.

Tigers Jaw/New Detroit

American rock band Tigers Shaw were formed in Scranton, Pa. in 2005. The group was started in high school by Ben Walsh, who played drums at the time, and Adam McIlwee (guitar, vocals). A few months later, they were joined by Brianna Collins (keyboards, vocals). The band released their debut album Belongs to the Dead in October 2006. By the time of their eponymous sophomore album from September 2008, Tigers Shaw had grown to a five-piece and Walsh had switched to guitar and vocals. He and Collins remain part of the current formation that also includes Colin Gorman (bass, rhythm guitar) and Theodore Roberts (drums). According to their Apple Music profile, the band’s music evolved from pop punk to Emo to indie rock. New Detroit is from their sixth studio album I Won’t Care How You Remember Me, which appeared on March 5. I really like how melodic and catchy this song is!

Sources: Wikipedia; Mason Lively website; Apple Music; Ringo Starr website; MTV News; YouTube